U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,638,672, 5,363,699 and 5,814,738 disclose fluid flow meters and fluid dispersing and mixing devices characterized by a unique static fluid flow displacement member of the cone type, which is mounted symmetrically within a section of conduit and is effective to linearism fluid flow through the conduit within a region defined between the displacement member and the interior surface of the conduit. The fluid flow displacement member flattens the velocity profile of fluid flow in the conduit both upstream and downstream from the displacement member, insures reliable measurement of fluid flow conditions within the conduit and provides for homogeneous blending and dispersing of diverse fluids and/or fluids containing particulate matter.
The unique fluid flow meters and mixers are made and sold under the registered trademark “V-CONE” by McCrometer, Inc. of Hemet, Calif. which is the owner of the above patents and the assignee of the present invention.
Cone-type flow meters, and more specifically, the fluid flow displacement members and conduit sections in which they are mounted, can deteriorate over time due to deposits, corrosion and abrasion, and therefore must be inspected periodically to determine if calibration, re-calibration or replacement is necessary. Inspection typically requires that the flow meter be removed from the pipeline, shipped to a laboratory and inspected remotely from the field. The need for remote laboratory inspection requires sealing the pipeline while the meter is out of service, which significantly increases the time and money spent on maintaining the fluid flow meters and causes delays for the time that the flow meter is removed from the pipeline for remote inspection and calibration, if required.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of inspecting cone-type fluid flow meters in the field that provides information on whether calibration, re-calibration or replacement of the flow meters is necessary.